A Condo Buzzer alternative — for Canada and the US
If you're weighing Condo Buzzer (condobuzzer.ca) against Fobless, both answer your condo's intercom for you. Fobless works across Canada and the US, provisioning a local number in either country. Here's how the category works and exactly what Fobless does, so you can compare on facts.
How a virtual buzzer service works
Your building's intercom dials a phone number when someone buzzes your unit. A virtual buzzer service gives you a number that answers those calls with software: when you've allowed it, the service plays the door-release tone and lets your guest straight in; otherwise the call simply rings through to your phone like it always has. No fob, no app for your guests, and no changes to the building's hardware — the building manager just updates the number your unit dials.
What Fobless does
- Dedicated local number — pick your city and choose your number in the US or Canada; the intercom dials local.
- Remote door release — activate from the dashboard, or from Siri Shortcuts and Home Assistant; the next buzz opens the door.
- Virtual fobs for guests — share a link and guests let themselves in; label, schedule, expire, and revoke links anytime.
- Access schedules — recurring windows (cleaner every Tuesday), overnight windows, and one-time windows that expire on their own, all in your building's timezone.
- Caller-ID filtering — only your building's intercom rings through; spam and wrong numbers to your dedicated number are dropped instead of forwarding to your phone.
- Email & push alerts — know when the door was opened and by which guest link.
- Safe fallback — not activated? Calls forward to your phone. The buzzer never stops working.
- One simple price — $5/month per building gets a resident every feature above, no picking and choosing. Running short-term rentals? Fobless Pro ($12/month per property, an introductory rate heading to $15 — lock it in while it lasts) adds automatic Airbnb & Vrbo (beta) scheduling, your own branded guest page, and Home Assistant smart-lock virtual keys.
What to compare when choosing
Every service in this category makes different trade-offs. Whichever you pick — Fobless, Condo Buzzer, or another — these are the questions that matter:
| Question | Fobless's answer |
|---|---|
| Is the price flat and public? | Yes — published, no quote needed: $5/month per building with every feature included, or $12/month per property for Pro (short-term-rental automation). 30-day money-back guarantee. |
| Where does it work? | The US and Canada — Fobless provisions local US and Canadian numbers. |
| Do guests need an app? | No — guests use the intercom as usual, or a plain web link you share. |
| Is any hardware required? | None. Works with the existing intercom over the phone line. |
| Can access be scheduled? | Yes — recurring weekly windows, overnight windows, and one-time windows that auto-expire. |
| Can guest access be revoked? | Yes — every guest link is individually revocable, expirable, and schedulable. |
| Anything for Airbnb / Vrbo hosts? | Yes — Pro connects your booking calendar and each reservation auto-arms around arrival and expires at checkout, with one branded guest link for every guest. |
| What stops strangers opening the door? | Opening always requires an activated window, a schedule, or a guest link that you or the app set — and the release tone only works through your intercom's own call, so a random caller to your number can't open anything. |
| What happens when it's off? | Buzzer calls forward to your phone — the building works exactly as before. |
Switching is one email
Because the whole category keys off the phone number your intercom dials, trying Fobless (or moving from another service) is a single change: sign up, pick your number, and send your building manager the pre-written note Fobless gives you. If you ever leave, point the intercom back at your phone number and everything is as it was.
Try Fobless risk-free
From $5/month, cancel anytime. Not a fit? Full refund within 30 days.
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